Albion have a tremendous record at the Amex since Chelsea thumped them 4-0 in January.

In 15 home matches since then they have won eight and drawn four.

Sunday's 2-1 defeat by the same opponents was only the third over this period.

The others were losing to Tottenham by the same score and 2-0 against Leicester last season.

That is the only time they have failed to score across the 15 games.

They have beaten Manchester United (twice) and Arsenal, drawn against Spurs.

In four of the wins - against United, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Swansea - they scored at least three goals.

So there cannot be much cause for complaint amongst the Amex faithful. Despite the timid first half performance on Sunday.

The impressive home form will continue to come under serious threat in the next three games, against Arsenal on Boxing Day, Everton three days later and Liverpool in January, after the second of two trips to Bournemouth which follows a visit to West Ham.

Nothing is easy in the Premier League, home or away, but it gets easier after that at headquarters.

Watford, Burnley, Huddersfield, Cardiff, Southampton, Bournemouth and Newcastle before Manchester City on the final day.

Albion should be safe by then. Even in defeat, the latest clash with Chelsea demonstrated they are better equipped to deal with the challenges ahead than the one in January.

That is not just because the result was a lot closer.

The Argus: The starting line-up back then included Ezequiel Schelotto (above) and Markus Suttner. Neither of them have featured in the Premier League this season and could well move on when the transfer window re-opens.

Tomer Hemed also started. He is one of three members of the matchday squad playing in the Championship now (Sam Baldock and Tim Krul are the others).

Sunday's defeat emphasised the extent to which the depth of the group has improved with the summer transfer business.

In defence, Chris Hughton can now alternate between Bruno and fellow Spaniard Martin Montoya at right-back.

Bernardo (below), improving with every game, has taken over from the dependable Gaetan Bong at left-back.

The Argus: Leon Balogun, although at fault for Chelsea's second goal, has generally looked an accomplished deputy for the suspended Shane Duffy.

Additional depth will be provided in this area when Dan Burn arrives from Wigan next month.

In central midfield, four players are fighting for two places.

Dale Stephens and Davy Propper, Hughton's established partnership last season, are endangered by Yves Bissouma and Beram Kayal.

It was difficult for Stephens against Chelsea after five weeks out of the starting line-up via a ban and the international break.

Likewise Pascal Gross, still getting back up to speed after almost three months on the sidelines.

Goal scorer Solly March, Albion's most consistent winger this season, had one of his least effective games but he was up against Cesar Azpilicueta, one of the best defenders in the league.

As with the right-back situation, Hughton now has an alternative up front between Glenn Murray and Florin Andone, whose introduction against Chelsea along later with that of Bissouma invigorated the display.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jose Izquierdo were unavailable through injury to compete with March and Anthony Knockaert on the flanks.

It should also be taken into account that Chelsea look a better team under Maurizio Sarri than they were in January under Antonio Conte.

Sarri was able to bring on Ross Barkley, Olivier Giroud and the impressive Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He also had Cesc Fabregas among his substitutes.

Chelsea's target is 80 points to finish in the top four. Albion's is 40 again to finish outside the bottom three. They remain well on course.